Bradley's Absence Felt as Celtics Fall in First Round

Game Recap from the Celtics website.

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics are not a team to make excuses.

That being said, it’s undeniable how much of an impact Avery Bradley’s absence was felt during Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Celtics lost their defensive rock/offensive kick-starter midway through the fourth quarter of Game 1. They struggled to find consistency on both ends of the court from that point forward, and ultimately met their demise Thursday night, dropping a penultimate Game 6, 104-92.

First and foremost, Boston missed Bradley’s lockdown perimeter defense.

Take, for instance, the impact he had on Atlanta guard Kyle Korver during Game 1. Bradley was able fight off screens and chase down the elite sharpshooter, limiting him to two points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, including an 0-for-7 performance from 3-point range.

Following Bradley’s injury, Korver scored at least 10 points during each of the remaining five games, and shot 20-of-38 52.6 percent from the field, including 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) from long range.

As a competitor who’s shared plenty of battles with Bradley, Korver expressed disappointment that he was unable to face off against him during the majority of the series.

“Obviously his defense has always been great, so it’s unfortunate that he got hurt,” Korver said after Atlanta’s series-clinching win. “He’s a really good player and [his absence] definitely hurt them.”

But it wasn’t just Bradley’s defense that was missed; his scoring ability, which is often overlooked, was a key factor in Boston’s explosive offense during the regular season.

Bradley was often the player who set the tone and scored the first bucket of the game for Boston. He was the second-highest scorer on the team, and without him, Boston did not have many scoring options besides Isaiah Thomas.

“Everybody knows what a good defender he is, but I think he really has a positive impact on their offense,” said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. “All their rhythm, their flow, they do so many different things [when he’s on the court].”

One of those things is space the floor. Bradley stepped up his long-range game this season, making a career-high 147 3-pointers. That improvement earned the recognition of Korver, who sits eighth all-time in 3-point makes.

“It’s been incredible to watch his offense catch up to his defense,” said Krover. “When he has it going, I really look at him as a great shooter. He’s so quick on the dribble-handoffs and they run a lot of stuff for him, and he’s just really improved as a shooter.”

The Hawks had plenty to say about the impact of Bradley’s absence, knowing firsthand how much he affected their play. But as previously mentioned, the Celtics are not ones to make excuses themselves, and coach Brad Stevens is a profound proclaimer of that philosophy.

“Obviously Avery is a really good player and we’re thrilled he’s a Celtic, but we have other guys who can play too,” Stevens said as he took the podium for the final time this season. “That’s part of your season, that’s part of the way it goes and the next guys have got to [step] up.”

Those next guys put forth their best effort, but ultimately nothing could fill Bradley’s void.

“We missed him a lot,” said Jae Crowder. “We missed what he brings to the team and it sucks that happened, but injury is a part of it.

“He had one that he couldn’t fight through, and we just tried to step up for him, but at this time of the season you have a lot of guys hurt. His was just so unfortunate for us that it kept him out, and it hurt us.”

Being the competitor that he is, Bradley may have been the most frustrated Celtic during this first-round exit, given that he had to sit on the sideline and watch his team get eliminated from the postseason.

Bradley had said following Boston’s final preseason game in October that one of his main goals was to not miss a single game this season. He played most of them – 77 to be exact – and had an immense impact on the C’s success.

It was an impact that the Celtics certainly needed during this challenging series against the Hawks.